40 Nutmeg Lane
Glastonbury, CT 06033
Tel: (860) 657-9014
Email: thought@Thoughtventions.com
40 Nutmeg Lane
Glastonbury, CT 06033
Tel: (860) 657-9014
Email: thought@Thoughtventions.com
Multiple carbon samples of approximately 10 cc were heat treated at 2000°C for three hours in Thoughtventions's graphite furnace.
Thoughtventions designed a high pressure transparent optical cell heated to temperatures above 2000°C using high power arc lamp heating.
Experiments and feasibility research were performed to determine whether sapphire could be made into faceplates for mobile phones.
The complex (real - resistance, and imaginary - capacitance) AC resistivity of a wide variety of oil shale samples were tested to pressures of 2000 psi and temperatures to 1000°C at Thoughtventions in Thoughtventions's high pressure high temperature furnace.
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A high vacuum cell was fabricated to optically examine cesium vapor. An internally triggered ampoule breaker apparatus supplies cesium once the system is under vacuum. A heater furnace supplies cesium at a controlled pressure. The centerpiece of the apparatus is a sealed sapphire window that can cycle to 1000°C enclosed in a furnace using a Thoughtventions temperature controller.
A variety of fiber reinforced structural solids were tested for LOI in accordance with standard testing procedures. Flame persistence was monitored as a function of oxygen concentration in its surrounding atmosphere. High oxygen concentrations were often necessary.
Developed and demonstrated techniques for reliably coiling a 50 micron diameter sapphire fiber around a small diameter core without breaking. The fiber was then sealed into a vacuum fitting and microdot fiber connectors attached to form a complete optical chemical sensor.
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An obsolete, tungsten mesh furnace was inexpensively put into working condition. The box furnace vacuum was repaired, and its mercury diffusion pump cleaned and converted to an oil diffusion pump. The high and low vacuum system was debugged and returned to original operating condition. The furnace was fitted with air cooled to avoid a major water facility hookup, and a VRT transformer incorporated to drive the furnace to 2000°C using a Thoughtventions temperature controller.
The Air Force Research Laboratory came to Thoughtventions wanting to vibration test electronics under a wide variety of environmental conditions. Thoughtventions built a facility that could vibration test mounted equipment from 20 to 3000 Hz, in any gas at pressures from high vacuum to 1 atmosphere, and simultaneously at temperatures up to 1000°C.
A process was developed and tested to remove oxide layers from commerical stents using heated graphite processing chambers.
A study explored ways of using coatings combined with solar heating effects to enhance high altitude balloon performance.
Tube furnace designed to image molten metal droplets.
Thoughtventions was approached with the question as to whether a standard video camera could be operated in a vacuum. Thoughtventions demonstrated that the camera operated without problems under high vacuum, only having to be modified with a heat sink to the external structure to remove the heat generated by the electronics.
Thoughtventions develop a sealed sapphire/alumina bulb for an HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamp.
After the Space Shuttle disaster, NASA solicited to modify a standard high speed camera so that it could operate with cooling, sealed in a low pressure environment. This type of camera was required to perform Back-to-Flight testing of shuttle components. Thoughtventions successfully sealed the multipin connected camera and provided umbilical internal cooling.
This was a project for the FAA that developed a high intensity inset (buried) runway flasher. This inset flasher meets above runway flasher specifications, but is buried in the center of a runway so that planes and snowplows can operated over it. The flasher emits a directed bright flash to guide planes into the runway. The challenge was to guide a large amount of flash energy at a low forward angle through a small window.
A study explored the possibility of using microwaves injected into the cylinder of a spark ignition internal combustion engine to increase local flame speed, improving combustion efficiency and reducing pollution.
Last updated: March 2018
